


Paint, Picnics, and Predicaments

by WorryinglyInnocent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, F/M, Fluff, Pregnant!Belle, alternate s6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 21:31:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17568302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: Rumpel’s attempt to give Belle a nice surprise backfires slightly when she turns up with lunch unexpectedly. Set in a nebulous alternate season 5-6 in which everything is happy.Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “I’m not dressed for this.”





	Paint, Picnics, and Predicaments

 

It was time to begin. Belle was out at the library and would not be home until the end of the day, and Rumpelstiltskin had plenty of time to put his plan into action. Keeping it a secret from Belle had been hard, but necessary. He kept telling himself that it was for her own good that she didn’t know, but deep down, he knew that the reasons were a little more selfish than that.

Simply, he wanted it to be a surprise for her and he wanted her to be proud of what he had achieved.

Of course, that was never going to happen if he didn’t achieve anything in the first place, so it was time to get on with it. The nursery wasn’t going to decorate itself.

Ever since Belle had discovered that she was expecting their child, she had been meticulously designing every detail of their new arrival’s nursery, consulting Rumpel about everything from possible colour combinations to the efficacy of blackout drapes. Now, the paint had been procured, the flooring had been ordered (babies and antique carpets didn’t tend to mix), and there were boxes of baby things all over the house. Geppetto had been all to happy to carve and build a crib for them, practically jumping at the chance as soon as Belle had mentioned it. It seemed like this child was the thing that had finally quelled the lingering animosities between Rumpel and the rest of the town, with everyone offering their earnest congratulations and any assistance that the parents-to-be might need.

Although flattered (and sometimes overwhelmed) by the offers of help he’d received, Rumpel was determined that decorating the nursery was something that he would do by himself – and he would not use magic to help him. He had been gradually weaning himself away from always falling back to magic as a catch-all solution to everything, and Belle had encouraged his progress every step of the way. He wanted to surprise her with this work on the nursery done by his own hands.

He entered the empty room, looked around, and immediately encountered a problem.

“I’m not dressed for this.”

Painting and decorating had not been part of Mr Gold’s repertoire, and so the appropriate clothing had never appeared in his wardrobe. Still, he couldn’t wear a suit for such work, so he entered the bedroom in search of something a bit more casual that could stand a few paint splashes.

He took out a black and white checked shirt that he had not worn since that fateful day when Emma had arrived in town and woken him from the curse, and a pair of plain cotton pyjama pants, easily replaced. Suitably attired, it was time to get stuck in.

Rumpel was no stranger to a paintbrush. Back in the Enchanted Forest, before the Dark One, he had waterproofed the outside of the cottage with lanolin every winter in an attempt to keep the worst of the bad weather out. Thinking about it brought back memories of Bae, and he felt the usual wave of sadness pull through him, made more melancholy by the knowledge that the new baby would never know his or her big brother. Still, he and Belle would make sure that their little one would know all about Bae’s life and bravery, and although he was gone, he would never be forgotten.

Rumpel made excellent progress with the painting over the next few hours, getting the first coat onto the walls and the skirting. They had decided on light blue in the end, with a border of fluffy white clouds around the top of the walls, and warm white fittings. Whatever the weather outside, their baby would always be able to look on a blue sky inside.

He was interrupted at lunchtime by the doorbell. Paintbrush still in hand, Rumpel was met with a dilemma. On the one hand, he really ought to go and see who was outside the door. On the other hand, the last thing that he wanted was any of the townsfolk seeing him in his currently besmeared state.

The doorbell rang again and Rumpel sighed, putting down the paintbrush and wiping his hands on his trousers. He opened the door carefully, keeping it between him and the person on the other side so that his state of dress would not be revealed.

He was rather surprised to find Belle standing there, holding up two bags full of takeout from Granny’s.

“I had my hands full, so I didn’t want to hunt for my keys,” she said, coming into the house as Rumpel opened the door wider for her. “I just had such a strong craving for pickles all morning that I decided to indulge. I came by the shop, but you weren’t there, so I thought that we could have a picnic here instead. I knew that you were here because all the windows were still open…” She tailed off, giving Rumpel a perplexed look. “Why are you hiding behind the door?”

Rumpel closed it, revealing his paint-splattered clothes.

“I’ve been working on the nursery. It was supposed to be a nice surprise for when you got home.”

“Well, I am home, and it is a lovely surprise.”

“I had meant for it to be slightly more finished before you saw it.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter, Rumpel.” She rushed through to the kitchen to drop off their lunch, and then skidded back into the hall. “Can I see what you’ve done so far?”

Rumpel gestured to the stairs. “As you wish, my love.”

He followed her up, hovering in the doorway as she looked around the room.

“Oh Rumpel, it’s perfect! It’s going to look so beautiful when it’s finished. Thank you for all your hard work.”

She came over with arms outstretched to hug him, and Rumpel threw up his hands to stop her.

“I’m not dressed for hugging,” he said quickly. “I don’t want to get paint all over you.”

Belle gave him a cheeky smile. “You could always take those clothes off, you know. Then I could hug you.”

Rumpel caught her hand and brought it to his lips so that he could kiss her knuckles.

“Perhaps after lunch, darling. Decorating works up an appetite, you know.”

Belle made a noise of protest, but nonetheless followed him down the stairs again when her stomach gave a very timely growl. They ate at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, one each side as they feasted on burgers, fries, and iced tea. Belle couldn’t stop grinning, giving the occasional little giggle, and Rumpel quirked an eyebrow at her.

“What is it?”

She shrugged. “I’m just so happy. It was such a wonderful surprise to find you’d started on the nursery.”

“Well, I thought it was about time to begin or else it would never be done in time, and I didn’t want you inhaling paint fumes in your state. It was for your own good, really.”

Belle patted his hand with greasy fingers. “You’re so good to me. I’m also giggling at the fact you didn’t want anyone to see you covered in paint. You were so cute hiding behind the door like that.”

“The reputation of the great and terrible Dark One has been softened enough without the general populace seeing him covered in blue paint splashes. We can’t have everyone thinking that I’m normal, that would be terrible.”

“I like the fact that you let yourself be normal for me. I like that you don’t need that armour with me.”

It had taken a long time for Rumpel to be comfortable with anyone, including Belle, seeing him for who he truly was, but now that she was here, and they were married, and they had a child on the way, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Still, it was clear that Belle’s thoughts were heading in another direction now. She wiped her hands on a napkin and wiped away the greasy smudge she’d left on Rumpel, rubbing her hands together with a smirk that was hungry for something more than the meal she’d just eaten. “So, do I get to hug you now?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Rumpel said, his voice sing-song and ponderous. “The first coat of paint will be dry by now and if we want this nursery to be finished before the baby comes, then I should really get on with it. There’s still flooring to lay and furniture to assemble. Wool to spin for blankets. To be honest, I don’t know if we’re going to have time for hugs.”

Although she knew that he was teasing, Belle still pouted, folding her arms. Rumpel did have to admit that now she had entered her second trimester and was getting over the morning sickness, the influx of happy hormones had certainly made her appetite for all things concerning himself rather voracious, and he was not dismayed by this at all.

“Oh, all right then.” He began to unbutton his shirt, and Belle licked her lips.

“You know,” she began, “I think that I could definitely get used to you being covered in paint. Perhaps we can experiment with some varieties that aren’t as toxic…”

Rumpel was all too happy to agree to this idea.

 


End file.
